After the Dream
by Glass Wolf
Summary: An alternate Universe that divergers from the main stream Highlander canon during the season five ep Archangel. Something happened to Duncan at that race track that left him dreaming for ten years. This begins when he wakes up.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: The Highlander world belongs to Panzer-Davies productions and anyone I am unaware of. I am just a fan writing this for my own enjoyment and possibly the enjoyment of other fans. I am not making any money off of this so please don't sue.

Note: I've been debating writing this for a while. It's been a while since I've seen Highlander the Series and I'd rather forget ever seeing End game but this idea just wouldn't let me go. It's a bit on the cliche side in a Dallas kind of way but I really want to work with the idea. So here it is.

I'll be honest up front I am playing fast and loose with all Post Season Five of Highlander the Series Canon. It'll become clear as you read. Highlander the Raven still happened but in an alternate form that will become clear as the fic goes on. Also this is set in 2007 Ten years from Archangel which didn't quiet happen the way it did in canon.

WARNING: I am not going to warn for content or pairings in this fic. I want the reader to see how things have changed along with Duncan in the ten years he's been dreaming.

After the Dream

Prologue

Duncan Macleod sat watching his son Connor walk down the isle to get married. He glanced over at his wife Anna and smiled. She looked at him and then in a quiet voice asked him a simple question. "Are you Happy Duncan?"

"More than I've ever been." He answered honestly it had been a hard road but now that his son had won the prize and ended the game he was happier than he'd ever been before. He saw her smile sadly and then she was gone replaced by Kate his immortal ex-wife. He was struck speechless and turned seeing the wedding of his son melting away to be replaced by a stark race track in Paris. "What is this?" He asked angrily turning back toward Kate only to find Cassandra in her stead.

"So the Dream ends." Cassandra said with a cold smile. "My revenge upon you is complete." Duncan saw her face curl into a horrible expression. "When you chose to save Methos I knew you had to be punished." Duncan found he couldn't speak as she went on. "I waited for you here and laid a curse upon you." She smiled cooly. "You would dream for ten years and during that time all your desires would be fulfilled the good and the bad." She smiled at him "As you awaken try to remember that part of you wanted everything that occurred all the deaths were wished for by you."

Finding he could speak again Duncan had to ask. "Why Cassandra?" He still couldn't believe it had all been a dream even as the race track faded away. "Why would you do this to me I loved you once?"

"And I still love you it's why I did it." She said sadly. "I tried but I couldn't move on knowing he was still alive so I gave you my head and with it this curse so you would understand true pain as I do." Duncan didn't understand what she meant by that but he couldn't ask her. As everything faded out, he screamed out asking her why one final time.

He awoke suddenly to find himself laying in a comfortable bed, in a stark white room an old woman leaning over him with a curious expression. "So you're finally awake." As she leaned back, he realized she was an immortal. His shock at seeing such an old woman as an immortal must have registered. "Do you truly think it's only the young who die violent deaths?"

"No." Duncan said unfortunately he'd seen a lot of elderly victims during his long life. "I've just never met someone who was so old when they had their first death." He looked around slightly. "Where am I?" He then quickly added.

"A sanctuary for immortals who cannot defend themselves." She said patiently. "The very old, the very young and those who have lost arms and legs." She looked at him a curious expression on her face. "You were our first coma patient." She then frowned. "As to how you got that way I don't have a clue all, and all I know for sure is that you were found next to the body of a very old immortal in a race track in Paris."

Duncan frowned, he'd never heard of any such place. "How did I come to be here?" He was trying to keep calm and piece together what had happened to him. "I can't tell what is real and what isn't?"

"Connor Macleod one of the few we have trusted with our location sent you here." She said calmly. "We will contact him to come collect you as we can't have you knowing our location."

Duncan was glad to hear that Connor was alive but he didn't like the tone she'd taken. "I am more than capable of making my own way home." He then stated simply. "I give you my word that no one will find this place because of me."

"Frankly Macleod you word isn't good enough." She said harshly. "You have many enemies Macleod and we wouldn't have even taken you if we didn't owe Connor a debt." He was shocked at her dismissal. "You will remain in this room until Connor arrives if you try to leave we will shoot you and then strap you to the bed."

Duncan was left alone wondering if he could really trust this woman or not. He occasionally felt the presence of other immortals passing by his room and he was very sure there were at least one or two immortal guards at the end of the hall. He didn't think he could fight his way out unarmed so he began to try to piece together what was real and what wasn't from his memories. After some time the only thing he was completely sure of was that Kate had never existed he'd never been married.

To be continued...

I hated Kate Macleod I mean it's not like there was a big deal in the series about Duncan never loving a woman enough to marry her until Tessa after all. Sorry I really hated End game and am perfectly happy to pretend it was all a dream caused by a vengeful Cassandra.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer, Notes and the warning about the lack of warnings is on the prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter One of Twelve

Joe Dawson sat at his desk debating who to call first. In the ten years since they found Macleod comatose next to Cassandra's body a lot had changed. He knew that after a few years everyone had assumed that Macleod wasn't waking up and gone on with their lives. It'd been years since he'd seen more than one of the others at the same time. He had all ways known that if something happened to Macleod that the others would drift apart and he couldn't help but wonder how they'd react to the news that after ten years Duncan Macleod was back.

That was another thing he had to consider. How would Duncan react to how the others had changed over the last ten years. He needed to check and see if Amanda and Nick were on or off at the moment. There was also Methos to consider the oldest immortal hadn't taken the circumstances well and he still didn't know what was in the letter Cassandra had left for him. It had been written in a language he didn't speak and Methos had refused every time he asked to know.

He decided to call Methos first the oldest immortal had completely withdrawn from the game again after Macleod's incapacitation. He didn't know how long it would take Connor to get Macleod to Paris so he wanted Methos at least to be aware before Macleod got here. He was glad that the oldest immortal had stayed in touch with him at least. He had worried when Methos began to withdraw again that he'd disappear for good. He quickly dialed the number and wasn't' surprised when the other man answered promptly. "Hello Joe, what watcher mystery can I help you solve now?" Joe was a bit annoyed he hadn't called Methos that many times to ask for his help with a difficult chronicle.

"Macleod is awake." He noticed that Methos got very quiet. "Connor is bringing him to Paris as soon as possible." He wondered if Methos was thinking about that letter that Cassandra left. "Are you there?" He finally asked after the silence got to be too much.

"I'm here." Methos said with an even tone. "I'll be in touch Joe there are some things I have to do now." Joe wasn't surprised when the phone clicked dead. He considered calling back but knew it would be a waste of time. He sighed and debated who to call next.

XXXX

"Wasn't this a great idea?" Amanda lounged in the beach chair next to him."Really Nick, I think this vacation is just what we needed to get things back on track." Nick wasn't so certain about that their relationship had been up and down ever since she shot him to trigger his immortality. He'd finally gone back to her after nearly losing his head to another immortal and she'd gotten him a sword and a teacher. They hadn't kept in touch during the time he was learning to survive and after taking his first head and been cut loose by his teacher. He'd been adrift with no idea what to do.

"It's quiet at least." He could tell his response bothered her. He went back to thinking about things while she set silently. During that period where he was trying to figure out what to do next Amanda had turned back up and they had begun a relationship that so far hadn't been going well. He knew Amanda was hoping this vacation would settle things down but he wasn't sure their problems could be fixed by a couple of weeks at an expensive beach resort.

He was saved from any more discussion when one of the hotel staff approached them. "I'm sorry to interrupt madam but there is a call from a Joe Dawson for you." He watched Amanda go and he found himself wondering what the watcher wanted. It was rare for Joe to call them. Usually they just saw him when they were in Paris on business. He wondered if someone they knew had lost their head or if perhaps something had finally changed about Macleod's condition.

It had been several months into their relationship before Amanda had dropped that bombshell on him. That her on again off again lover had been in a coma for the last few years. It had been shocking enough to learn that immortals could end up in comas let alone to find out that he'd been put into a coma by a real witch. Even after learning about immortals the idea of a witch with actual magical powers had been hard to believe.

He waited for a while and when she didn't come back he got up and went to find her. She wasn't at the front desk where she would have taken the call so he decided to head up to their room. Once he arrived on their floor the feeling of another immortal presence. He opened their room door and found her quickly packing. "What's going on?"

"Duncan is awake." She said without even pausing as she crammed clothes into her suit case. "I need to get to Paris as quickly as possible." He noticed that she didn't include him in that trip. "You can stay here and finish out the vacation the room is paid for another week."

"Maybe I want to meet the famous Duncan Macleod." He knew his voice sounded bitter but she was the one who had been so gung ho about fixing their relationship with this trip. She looked at him with a slightly shocked look. "Or are you dumping me to run back to him?"

"I'm not dumping you Nick." Amanda said with a frown. "But Duncan has been my friend for along time and I need to be there for him." Nick knew that he had been a lot more than her friend. "Give me a few days to help him adjust to the changes in my life and then I'll introduce you when you arrive."

Nick wasn't sure he'd ever see Amanda again but he could tell she really didn't want to fight and truth be told he wasn't in the mood for it either. "All right I'll see you in Paris after a week." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss before resuming her packing. He wondered briefly if he'd all ways just been a stand in for Macleod.

XXXX

Ritchie cursed as he ducked down behind a dumpster to avoid being seen by the police car heading toward the scene of his last fight. He'd told the idiot immortal who challenged him that they were to close to the club district but he had insisted on fighting then and there. Of course as soon as he'd taken the idiots head, the noise of the quickening had attracted a few curious drunks and now the entire city was going to be up in arms and hunting for a brutal killer. He needed to get home get cleaned up and get out of the city as quickly as possible.

At least he was prepared this time the last time something like this had happened he hadn't acquired a new id yet and had to sneak into the country. Once he was sure the police hadn't seen him, he slipped out from behind the dumpster and headed toward his apartment. He hadn't taken his bike tonight because he'd been planning to make some minor repairs in the morning.

He was relieved when he made it back to his apartment without any trouble. He let himself into the converted motel and quickly locked the door after checking to make sure none of his blood got on the handle. He needed to work fast in case the police canvassed the neighborhood. He quickly stripped off the torn and bloody clothes and shoved them into a trash bag and then under the bed with his sword. Heading quickly into the bathroom he turned on the shower and glanced at the mirror for one last look at himself as a blond. He grabbed the small package of black hair dye he kept in the bathroom just in case someone had gotten a good enough look at him to pick out his bleached hair.

Sometime later he turned the shower off as he heard knocking on at the door. Wrapping a towel around his waist and headed to the door. A quick glance outside told him it was just a patrol cop and he thanked his lucky stars that it wasn't a detective. After relaxing his face he opened the door and looked the young cop over. "Is something the matter officer?" He asked politely. He noticed the cop was staring at his lack of attire and had to resist the urge to smile again this was going to be easy.

He spent the next five minutes answering the cop's questions. Being an immortal had given him a lot of practice at lying. He made sure to keep the cop uncomfortable but not enough to be overly memorable. He reacted with the appropriate shock to learning that forty five minutes ago someone had been beheaded. When asked if he'd been out to any of the bars he mentioned the local gay bar and was reward with the cop waning to finish the interview much quicker. Once he was gone Ritchie headed inside and got dressed. Once the cops had cleared out, he had to get out of town. He might have fooled a nervous beat cop who just wanted to get away but he didn't want to have to deal with any experienced detectives who might show up eventually after going over the collected statements.

He was glancing out the window to see if the cops had cleared off yet when the phone rang. He quickly answered it and was surprised when it turned out to be someone he hadn't heard form in a while. "Richie, it's Joe." He hadn't spoken to Joe in a few years not since Joe had gotten mad at him for killing one of Macleod's friends who'd challenged him after he refused to tell them where Mac was. "I just thought you should know that Macleod is awake."

"I'll be there in a few days." He had to leave town so he might as well go see Mac in Paris. He said a rather tense good bye to Joe and went to check to see if the cops were gone yet. He had learned a lot of unpleasant truths about immortality and how while Mac might be good enough to live the life of a self-righteous crusader he certainly wasn't.

XXXX

Joe set the phone down feeling sad at how his friendship with Ritchie had soured. He knew from reading dozens of chronicles that it wasn't unusual for students who lost their teachers to go through quiet a few changes in temperament and attitude toward the game but it was depressing to think of how Macleod would react to learning one of his friends was killed by his former student.

Joe still didn't understand exactly how Andrew Johnson asking the former student of his friend for information on his whereabouts had led to a fight to the death. Johnson's watcher hadn't been present for the beginning of the fight only the end. He still didn't know when Ritchie had started carrying the second blade but the shock of one of Macleod's students pulling a dagger had allowed him to win. It had been the first sign of Ritchie's new attitude that seemed at odds with what Macleod had taught him. He privately hoped seeing Macleod again would bring back the old Ritchie again.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer, notes and warning about not warning available on the prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Two of Twelve

Duncan fell back on the hotel bed with a relieved sigh. He'd arrived in Stockholm in a casket as Connor and the immortals who ran their sanctuary insisted that he not be able to pick out which country he left. Connor had left to finish putting his papers in order so he could legally board a plane to France. He had never liked traveling as a dead man even though he'd been forced to do it a few times before over the centuries. Alone in that coffin he'd been forced to spend hours sorting through his memories attempting to discern what was real and what had been formed by his subconscious.

One of the most troubling aspects of his awakening was the implication Cassandra made that his dreams had been shaped entirely by his desires. He refused to believe that part of him wanted Connor, Ritchie and Joe dead. Shying away from those thoughts, he began to wonder how everyone had changed. He knew Amanda and Methos would be the same as immortals didn't change that much in just a decade but Joe was mortal.

When he thought about Ritchie, he recalled what Joe had said during a brief phone call a few hours earlier that Ritchie had changed a lot. He was honestly surprised that Ritchie was still alive he'd been worried that his friend would lose his head without him around. He was proud of the job he'd done teaching him and looked forward to seeing how he'd improved.

He closed his eyes to catch a bit of sleep before Connor got back and they had to leave for the airport. He was looking forward to getting back to his home in Paris and seeing his friends again. Then he'd be able to put the nightmare behind him and get on with his life.

XXXX

"Ritchie should be here shortly." Amanda turned toward Joe as he continued tiredly. "My contacts at the airport said he cleared costumes with no problems." Amanda nodded, it was never fun flying with a sword. There was always the chance that it would get ceased and you'd end up with a bunch of red tape.

She looked back and saw him frowning in thought. "It still bothers you that Ritchie killed Andrew, doesn't it?" She hadn't seen Ritchie since that business with Cory back at the dawn of the new millennia.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Joe asked tiredly. "Wasn't Andrew one of your friends as well?" Joe began to clean a few glasses in response. Amanda took a moment to look around the bar before she answered him.

"Andrew was never really my friend." Amanda said with a shrug. "He didn't care too much for immortals who play the game like I occasionally do." She decided not to bring up the time he threatened her after he learned she framed him for a theft and nearly cost him his heads at the hands of another immortal. "I don't think Duncan is going to be happy about it though." She had to frown at the thought. "He never takes it well when a friend kills a friend regardless of the reasoning."

"How do you think Duncan will react?" Joe asked her after a short pause. "Is he going to be able to forgive Ritchie for it?" Amanda hadn't given it much thought Duncan did tend to give his friends a great deal of slack when they couldn't live up to the standards he tried to hold himself too. However, Duncan didn't have the best track record when dealing with students who didn't live up to his ideals.

"I think that will depend on how Duncan sees Ritchie." She could tell her answer through Joe. "Duncan will forgive his friends nearly anything." Seeing his knowing nod, she went on. "But he's not as forgiving of his students who don't live up to his standards." She smiled. "I'm sure you've read in his chronicles how those incidents turn out."

Joe nodded an extremely worried expression on his face. Amanda didn't think things would turn out that badly she imagined Duncan would be glad to see everyone even if he might be surprised at how things had changed. She didn't blame Ritchie for choosing to live in a way that allowed him to survive even if it wasn't up to Duncan's standards. She also had to admit that time in Brazil had been a lot of fun and taken her mind off the bad way things had gone with Nick after he became immortal.

XXXX

Methos set aside Cassandra's letter after reading it for the hundredth time. In the last ten years he'd thought a lot about her accusations in the letter. A great many of them were true he'd made her the broken person she became. He also though a lot about her cryptic warning that when he finally betrayed Duncan he'd get what he deserved.

He also knew that when he inevitably met up with Macleod that he'd ask about the letter and he wasn't sure he wanted Macleod to know it's content. He knew he'd have to seek out Macleod that chapter of his life wasn't closed and there were issues that both needed to address. There was also Joe to consider he was a good friend and at most he only had another couple of decades left before he was gone.

After brooding on things for a while longer he got up to get himself a beer. He'd let Macleod get acquainted with how the world had changed before he showed up perhaps by then Macleod would be too busy dealing with everyone else to ask to many questions about Cassandra's letter.

XXXX

Joe had cleaned the bar's glasses for the second time when Ritchie finally arrived. He watched Amanda give him an enthusiastic hug in greeting and commented on his current pitch black hair. "I had a bit of trouble and needed a new look." Amanda smiled at him and then led him over to the bar. "It's good to see you again Joe." Ritchie said with only a bit of hesitation.

"It's good to see you too, Ritchie." He knew something of his thoughts must have shown because Ritchie quickly turned back to talking with Amanda. He watched as Ritchie whispered something in her ear that made her slap him playfully. "What's so funny?" He asked missing the easy comradery everyone used to have.

"I was asking if Amanda still had the tattoo she got in Brazil." Joe saw Amanda giving Ritchie a mock glare. Joe noticed Amanda wasn't answering. "I mean she'll have to tell us because it's not in a place she usually shows off in public."

"If you want to discuss embarrassing stories about our little caper in Brazil in front of Joe we can." Amanda said with a wicked smile. "Shall I tell him all about that incident with room service?" Joe had read the reports on the theft Ritchie, Amanda, and Cory Raines had pulled off in Brazil a few years ago but he didn't know all the details.

"Sure go ahead." Ritchie said with a wink at Joe. "He might even get a thrill out of it." Amanda laughed and Joe wondered what joke was being made at his expense. He didn't care for a few moments things were back like they were before any of this happened just three friends killing time while waiting for Macleod.

The rather happy moment was shattered by the phone ringing. He left the two of them looking slightly self conscious to answer the phone. "Dawson, Here." He said simply and wasn't surprised to find Connor on the other end of the line.

"Joe, there's been a problem getting Duncan a new id and we won't be able to leave Stockholm till tomorrow." Joe frowned everyone was anxious to see Duncan and the longer things were put off the worse they would be.

"I'll let Ritchie and Amanda know." Joe was surprised when Connor asked to speak to Ritchie but he nodded and setting the headset down went to get him. "Ritchie, Connor wants to talk to you?" He knew Ritchie had spent some time in New York but he wasn't if the two had stayed in touch.

"Something the matter?" Amanda asked as he watched Ritchie pick up the headset and start to talk to Connor in a low voice. He turned back to see Amanda was watching him with a concerned expression.

"Duncan's new id is taking longer than expected they're stuck there until tomorrow." He saw Amanda's face fall and her expression began to show a bit of the tension he knew they all felt. He heard Ritchie stop talking and set the phone down. He wanted to ask what the two of them talked about but didn't feel he had the right. "Do you need a place to stay Ritchie there's a spare room in the shop you can use?"

"No, a friend has a house here that he's letting me crash at." Joe nodded in response and looked back at Amanda who still looked upset over the fact Macleod wasn't going to make it on time. "Amanda, why don't you call Nick and check on him?" He saw her start at the mention of her current boyfriend.

XXXX

Ritchie let himself into Greg's condo and deactivated the security system. He knew he probably should have gotten a hotel but Gregor had insisted when he called to let him know Macleod was awake. He had enjoyed seeing Amanda and Joe again even if it had reminded him of the rather unpleasant fact he'd come to realize in the aftermath of the incident at the race track.

Their friendships had all been based on the fact they were all connected to Macleod with him incapacitated they had all gone on with their lives and lost touch for a while. It had been a bit sobering to realize that after meeting Mac and Tessa all his old friendships had faded away and he'd become absorbed into Mac's lifestyle. He didn't regret it he'd enjoyed every minute of his time with Mac and Tessa it had been the closest thing to a real family he'd had since Emily Ryan was his foster mother.

Still once Mac was gone there really hadn't been a place for him any more and he'd been forced once again to fend for himself. Joe really couldn't help him too much because of being a watcher and once he killed Andrew Johnson things had changed for good. Joe had always seemed wary around him and he knew it was because Joe didn't approve of how he'd won. He wasn't looking forward to Mac's reaction but he knew there was no escaping having to explain himself to his former teacher.

To be Continued...


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer, notes and warning about not warning are available on prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Three of Twelve

Duncan was glad when that he had finally arrived in Paris. Connor had managed to iron out the difficulties in procuring him a valid id so he finally managed to board a flight. He was still adjusting to all that had happened in the last ten years. Connor had given a run down on the major events but it was still an adjustment to see how quickly some things had changed while others were still basically the same. He couldn't wait to see everyone as he and Connor hailed a Taxi and gave the driver directions to Joe's bar.

Connor was even quieter than usual on the drive to the bar. He'd seemed unusually subdued ever since he had told him that it would be another day before they could arrive. Duncan had been in a hurry to see everyone but one more day didn't matter that much so he beginning to wonder if there was something Connor wasn't telling him. "We should be there shortly." He said trying to push the question out of his head if it was important he'd find out eventually.

When Connor only nodded in response Duncan decided he needed to ask. "Is there something you are avoiding telling me?" He finally asked while making sure the cab driver wasn't listening too intently.

"It's not my place to tell you." Was all the answer Connor gave him. "You'll find out soon enough just try to keep a cool head." Duncan frowned, it was never a good thing when Connor told him to keep his head it inevitably meant bad news. He wondered what had happened while he'd been dreaming that Connor didn't want to tell him.

He was still trying to figure out what it could be or how to get Connor to go ahead and tell him when they arrived at Joe's bar. He felt the familiar presence of other immortals as he approached the bar. He saw a sign on the door that said closed for family business and had to smile.

As they cautiously entered the bar, he relaxed when he saw it was just Amanda and Ritchie sitting at the bar talking to Joe. Amanda as lovely as always made a beeline for him and soon he found himself receiving a rather passionate kiss from her. "I thought I'd never see you again." She said as she ended the kiss and pulled him into a tight embrace. He for the first time wondered what it had been like for everyone else.

He looked over at Joe and Ritchie who were hanging back. It was a bit startling to see Joe looking so much older and Ritchie having pitch black hair would also take some getting used to. Once Amanda finally released him, he saw that Ritchie and Connor were exchanging rather familiar greetings as Joe walked up to him and gave him a hug. "It's good to see you again." Joe said with a hint of buried emotion. "Our oldest friend said it'd be a few days before he got here." He had been wondering why Methos wasn't here to greet him.

As Joe released him, he turned to see Ritchie. "Before we do the hugging thing there's something, you should know." Ritchie said a rather serious look on his face. Duncan felt a slight sense of foreboding as he saw Joe and Amanda both start at Ritchie's statement. A glance at Connor showed that he had expected this and he wondered what Ritchie had to tell him.

XXXX

"There's no need to go into that now." She said hoping that Ritchie would reconsider. "It can wait till later Ritchie." She could tell that Duncan was wary and she didn't think he'd take it well coming this soon after all the other shocks he'd experienced.

"No, Amanda there isn't any point in putting this off." Ritchie said turning back toward Duncan. "I took Andrew Johnson's head a few months after you ended up in a coma." Amanda turned nervously to stare at Duncan whose face had lost all the joy it had been filled with earlier.

The silence was beginning to get to her when Duncan finally spoke. "Did you know he was my friend when you killed him?" That question wasn't a good sign it meant Duncan was extremely angry and looking for a reason not to be.

"Yes, I did." Ritchie said simply and then to her utter shock he continued. "Also if I had it to do over, I'd still take his head." Amanda cursed internally wondering what on Earth Ritchie was thinking. It was fine not to regret your decisions but you don't advertise that fact to Duncan after you killed one of his friends.

Duncan had a dark look on his face as he stepped toward Ritchie who stepped back warily. Amanda saw Duncan's face register a strange emotion before he said blankly. "I think you should go." Amanda hadn't expected that an outburst asking why or even an angry accusation not the calm blank statement that he should go.

"Duncan maybe Ritchie had good reason to do it." She had never asked Ritchie why she'd assumed he had a reason and just didn't care to tell them. "You should at least give him a chance to explain." She didn't like the blank look on Duncan's face it was out of place.

"I can't listen to any of that now." Duncan said and Amanda thought she identified a trace of fear in his voice. "Ritchie needs to leave now, and we'll talk about it later." She could tell Joe and Connor were just as shocked by that statement as she was.

"Joe, Amanda, Connor I guess I'll see you guys around." Ritchie said calmly and left the bar. She noticed he didn't say goodbye to Duncan and wondered what was going on. She had been planning on a few days of peace getting Duncan reacquainted and gradually introducing him to the fact some of his friends had died and one of them had lost his head to another of his friends.

She noticed that Connor and Duncan were discussing something in Scottish. She sighed her Scottish was a bit rusty so she was only catching every other word. She could tell Connor was telling Duncan to go after Ritchie and Duncan was refusing but exactly why wasn't clear from what she could translate in her head. Connor said something rather curt and said a quick goodbye to her and Joe and then left she presumed to catch up with Ritchie.

"Joe, I need to know what happened?" Amanda was surprised and a bit annoyed that he could have asked Ritchie but instead he was asking Joe. She wasn't certain she liked the implication that Duncan would rather get his information from watcher reports than talk to his friend.

Joe sighed. "Mac, I only have details on the end of the fight not how it started." He looked down. "If you want to know that you'll have to ask Ritchie." Amanda saw that same strange expression on Duncan face as he asked Joe for the details he did have.

Amanda sighed, she didn't know what was going on, Duncan's awakening should have been happy occasion and it was turning into a mess. She found herself wishing Nick was here; it would have been nice to get his opinion on things.

XXXX

Ritchie got onto the bike he'd borrowed from Gregor and took off. He'd always felt better doing his thinking on a bike instead of walking around. He knew he probably should have had a bit more tact when telling Duncan but he'd been waiting along time to get it over with. He wished Mac would have asked him why he'd done it. He would have been glad to give Mac an explanation but instead Mac had just dismissed him like always.

He frowned there was no point in being mad about things he couldn't change. Even though he still recalled the reading of Mac's will as they'd had to fake his death to explain his disappearance to the local authorities. Joe, Amanda and Methos had all been named but he hadn't. The implication was clear Mac hadn't assumed he'd have outlived him.

He looked up realizing he'd been riding on autopilot and felt a bit guilty. He might survive any wrecks he could cause but any mortal drivers caught up could be seriously hurt. He pulled over and wasn't surprised to see the place where Mac's barge used to be moored. He found himself thinking about all the good times he'd had there with Mac and Tessa. He sometimes wondered if Mac blamed him for living while Tessa died that night.

He was startled from his thoughts by the approach of another immortal. He turned carefully looking around and saw it was Connor getting out of a cab. "I thought you might head this way." The older immortal said with a frown. "You really should go back and talk things out with Duncan, Ritchie."

Ritchie frowned, he owed Connor a lot after nearly losing his head to Andrew he'd gone to Connor for advice and learned some important lessons from the older Highlander but he wasn't ready to go back and talk to Duncan yet. "I don't think so Connor." He could tell his answer surprised the other immortal. "I need to think about things, and I'm still angry at him about some things and I need time to calm down." He knew years ago he'd have gone back and apologized for saying what he did but he couldn't at the moment. "Just tell Mac I'll talk to him eventually."

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer, Notes and warning about lack of warnings on Prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Four of twelve

He finished packing his bags and took one last look around the hotel room. He was checking out early because it simply wasn't any fun to stay in a resort geared for couples while your girlfriend was off getting reacquainted with an ex lover. He felt slightly guilty since Amanda had paid in advance but he hadn't been able to sleep in the large bed alone. He knew she wouldn't be happy but he couldn't put off going to Paris he needed to find out what was going on with Amanda now.

He waited impatiently as the Clerk finished checking him out. "Thank you for staying Mr. Wolfe please come again." He accepted the receipt he needed to give Amanda and then got in a taxi bound for the air port. He would catch a flight to Paris and talk to Father Liam for advice and then find Amanda.

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Duncan sat alone in the hotel room deep in thought. Connor had returned after a short while and all four of them had shared a tense evening before they had called it a night. He knew the others thought he'd over reacted but he hadn't trusted himself not to hurt Ritchie. The moment Ritchie had told him in such a challenging way he'd felt annoyance and a bit of regret that Ritchie wasn't dead. The fact he'd felt that even for a moment had scared him as he recalled Cassandra's statement that everything in his dream had been a private wish of his. He was beginning to fear she had been telling the truth.

He found himself constantly comparing the world as it was with the world as he had dreamed it. He was disturbed by the fact that part of him wanted to go back to the dream world. He hadn't told anyone not even Connor about his dream because he knew they wouldn't understand. He'd experienced so much and actually accomplished something impossible he'd had a child in that world. He was finding returning to a world where the game still existed extremely hard to take.

He also had to admit what Joe had told him about how Ritchie's fight with Andrew had ended worried him. He'd never taught Ritchie to carry a second blade and the fact he had used one to win a fight bothered him. He also couldn't figure out how a fight could even start between the two of them.

XXXX

Joe Dawson sighed as he settled down to attempt to sleep. He hadn't expected things between Ritchie and Mac to heat up so quick. He'd been hoping for a calmer confrontation. He also was furious that Methos hadn't shown. He had no doubt that the old man had suspected this was going to happen and stayed away to avoid getting caught up in it.

He was beginning to really feel his age. He had often said he was glad he wasn't an immortal but the less time he had left the more tempting the idea seemed. He wondered if other watchers felt that way as the reality of the fact those they watched would outlive them.

He shied away from those thoughts and turned his attention to trying to fix the situation between Ritchie and Macleod. He could tell that there was something bothering Macleod and he had the feeling he'd need his friends to help him deal with it.

He also made a note to get in touch with the old man as soon as possible and get him to quit stalling and show up. Methos probably had the clearest idea exactly what had happened to Macleod at that race track.

XXXX

Ritchie sat up as he felt the presence of an immortal approaching the house. He really hoped it wasn't someone out to kill Gregor. He didn't want to have to explain a quickening trashing his place. He grabbed his sword and decided not to try bother putting on pants he'd prefer to fight in more than a pair of boxer briefs but he didn't want to get caught with his pants half on.

He heard the door unlocking the disarming of the sounds of the security code being punched in. That meant it was one of Gregor's friends who knew the code so he probably wouldn't have to kill someone but he wasn't about to put his sword down until he knew for sure.

His eyes widened when Gregor entered his own sword in his head. "I though you weren't coming?" He asked the other man lowering his sword with relief. He took in at a glance that the other man had left his duffle bag out in the hall.

"I decided it'd been to long since last time." Gregor said dropping his sword and closing the distance. "Plus I think I have some business of my own to settle with Duncan." Ritchie watched him smirk at his hair. "I like it but I kinda miss the red hair."

Ritchie just grabbed the other immortal and kissed him. "I think discussions about my hair can wait till morning." Gregor didn't seem to have any more desire to talk about his hair as they headed toward the bed to get reacquainted he privately wondered what Mac would think despite learning in recent years most immortals had tried nearly everything sexually he knew from talking with Amanda that Mac was rather vanilla about some things.

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Amanda was worried she'd tried calling the hotel to talk to Nick but he'd already checked out. She had left a message with Father Liam for him. She hoped he'd get in touch with her soon. She knew she had screwed up by rushing off as soon as Duncan woke up. She should have brought Nick along or spent more time discussing it with him.

She frowned. She knew she was obsessing over her relationship with Nick because she didn't know how to help Duncan. She couldn't put her finger on it but after Ritchie had left something about Duncan's attitude was off. It had been ten years since she'd seen him last but she still knew Duncan and something was wrong. She needed to help him somehow.

She knew part if was that she had to get him and Ritchie to talk things out. She knew neither one of them needed the Andrew Johnson situation hanging over their head. She'd talk to Ritchie in the morning and try to get him to open up about what happened. Once she knew all the details she'd be able to tell him how best to approach Duncan with the full truth.

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"According to the message the witch sent me times up." He looked over at his faithful servant who he was getting old and would need to be replaced soon. "Macleod, should be awake now and I can finally have his head just as the witch promised."

"I have made all the arrangements, sir." He decided the old man still had some use left after all he was still efficient. "You will arrive in Paris three days from now and by then our sources should have located where in the city Macleod is staying."

"Good." He turned and left. "I'll be sharpening my sword if my attention is required for anything." He left knowing unless it was important he wouldn't be disturbed. He still remembered Cassandra's letter promising his shot at Macleod and Methos oldest of all immortals in just ten years.

Being an immortal had given him great patience so he had sat back and waited after Macleod disappeared from the game just like the witch had said he would. "Cassandra whatever hell you now call home I salute you." He said quietly to his sword.

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer, notes and warning about lack fo warnings on prologue.

Note: Originally After the Dream was going to be Seven Chapters but as of Chapter Five I decided that was too condensed and expanded my plan to twelve chapters. I have updated the other chapters to reflect the change.

After the Dream

Chapter Five of Twelve

Amanda looked up at the condo and debated getting right back in her cab. She'd made a quick phone call to Joe and found out where Ritchie was staying. She hadn't even known that Ritchie knew Gregor at all let alone enough to stay over at his house. Joe had also filled her in that according to watcher reports Gregor was back in town and also in the house. She had never seen much of Gregor because whenever he was around Macleod was no fun at all. She had heard that a few years ago he'd finally cracked and nearly gotten his head taken off by Macleod.

Still she needed to find out exactly what was going on with Ritchie about Macleod if she was going to help Duncan patch things up with his friend. She walked forward and felt the familiar buzz of other immortals in the area. She walked straight for the door taking note of the well laid out security cameras. She wasn't active as a thief at the moment but it was best to keep her skills sharp. As she rang the doorbell, she ran through ways of getting pas the camera's to keep herself calm. She adopted a relaxed posture though she could get her sword in a moment's notice.

The door opened and Ritchie was standing there giving her a curious look. He didn't have his sword out which meant the camera's were functional and not just for looks. "Ritchie, we need to talk," She said. He stepped aside and allowed her to enter. She studied the layout as she walked and wasn't surprised to find Gregor sitting on the stair steps holding his sword. "It's nice to see you again Gregor."

He didn't look like he believed her even as he responded. "It's nice to see you too, Amanda." He glanced at Ritchie and when the other man nodded he got up. "I'll leave the two of you alone." She watched him go and wondered exactly what was between the two men.

"I didn't know you knew Gregor?" She said as she walked into a living room full of photographs she assumed Gregor had taken. She watched Ritchie settle down across from her and smiled at hoping if she got him talking she'd get the truth about Andrew Johnson out of him.

"I met him before I became Immortal." He shrugged. "We hit it off great until he nearly killed me." He chuckled. "Sometimes I wish he would have then at least Tessa might be alive." He seemed to get more serious after that. "Why are you here Amanda?"

"I just want to talk." She said honestly. "And please don't take this the wrong way Ritchie but if he nearly got you killed why are you currently staying in his house?" She leaned over placing her hand on his leg. "Anyone who tries to kill you is someone you should cut out of your life for good."

"Okay I guess I'll cut Mac out of my life he tried to kill me twice." He said with a rather nasty tone. "Shall I tell him or do you want to do the honors?" Her irritation with him spiked she hadn't come to be mocked by him.

"That's not the same thing and you know it." He didn't respond so she went on. "I just want to be sure you're not getting yourself into trouble here." She looked him square in the eyes. "Are the two of you lovers."

"Sometimes." He said without hesitation. "And I trust him as much as I do any other immortal I know." He looked directly at her and she wondered why that statement made her nervous. "I trust him to look out for his own head first just like all the rest of us do."

"I'm going to have to stop thinking of you as inexperienced." It took some immortals longer than a few decades to realize that basic truth some of them never realized it or pretended it wasn't actually true. "Okay Ritchie, I want to know what happened with Andrew Johnson." She could tell he was going to object. "Listen Ritchie, you need to work things out with Duncan and the only way I can help is if you tell me what happened."

"I'll think about it." Ritchie said and then got up and pulled out a card. "My cell number is on the back call me in a couple of hours and we'll meet for lunch if I decide to tell you." She decided that was the best she could get and nodded. "I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing with Gregor before I showed up."

Ritchie smirked at her and said "You could always join us then I could see if you still have the tattoo." She smiled but some of the fun had gone out of the teasing. In Brazil she'd still managed to see Ritchie as an inexperienced immortal still finding his way part of her had assumed the old Ritchie would be back when he was a bit more experienced and better able to survive on his own.

XXXX

"Are you all right Mac?" Joe asked as they set down to breakfast at the small café. "You could have called and cancelled if you didn't feel up to it." He wondered how bad he looked if Joe was commenting on it.

"I didn't sleep well," he told the watcher. "Tell me something Joe was I a good teacher to Ritchie?" Thinking about the dream had been too painful and frightening so after a while he'd started comparing his teaching of Ritchie to his other students his successes and failures over the years. "I thought I had done things mostly right with him." He looked over at Joe. "What has Ritchie been doing since he killed Andrew?"

"I really shouldn't be giving you information from another immortals chronicle." His friend said the same thing every time he'd ever asked for information. "After the fight with Andrew he took off to visit Connor for a while." That was encouraging Connor wouldn't have helped him if Ritchie hadn't had a good reason for what happened. "After that he traveled around the US for a while on his bike." His friend looked down. "I didn't speak to him much after the fight with Andrew." Joe looked away. "I liked what I'd read about Andrew in his chronicle so I couldn't figure out how it happened."

Duncan nodded his head. "Andrew was one of the best of us." He frowned as something occurred to him. "Did Ritchie spend all ten years just traveling around the US?"

Joe shook his head no. "He met up with Cory Raines at some point and spent about three years getting into a great deal of trouble with him." He felt himself frown in response. "The two of them and Amanda pulled some job in Brazil back in 2000."

"Thank you Joe that tells me enough." He didn't want to hear any more Amanda was at her worst when she was around Raines and he didn't want to imagine what the three of them would have got up to. "I think I need to think about things before I talk to Ritchie."

XXXX

Nick sat impatiently waiting for Amanda to show up at the park she'd told him to meet at. He'd managed to get in touch with her and she insisted she'd be here shortly. He'd done as she asked but now as he'd been sitting on a cold bench for an hour he was considering just heading back to his hotel. Just before he was about to pack it in, he felt the presence of another immortal and turned scanning the crowd. He was relieved when he saw it was Amanda. He'd been an immortal for seven years now but he still felt a bit of terror every time he encountered that sensation. It usually meant he was going to have to fight for his life against someone trying to cut his head off. "I'm so glad you're here." She said as she reached him and gave him a kiss.

"I wasn't sure I'd be welcome." He admitted honestly he was surprised by how happy she seemed to be to see him. He was interrupted again by another kiss from her. "We need to talk about things Amanda," he said once she had released him.

"I know we do Nick." She said after a moment's hesitation. "But can it please wait a while there is a lot going on here with Duncan." He really didn't like her putting him off for the ex and she must have seen that in his expression. "I'm trying to patch things up between him and Ritchie," she said quickly. "I don't want the situation to get out of control."

"Who's Ritchie?" He asked. He thought the name sounded familiar but he hadn't actually met all of Amanda's immortal friends yet. The truth of the matter was every time he met her friends he often found himself wishing he hadn't.

"He was Duncan's last student before this happened." She looked down. "They were close friends but while Duncan was incapacitated Ritchie took the head of one of Duncan's friends." He could see how that could make for a tense situation. "I'm trying to help patch things up between them."

"Can things be patched up?" He said quickly. "I don't think I could take one friend killing another?" He wasn't surprised when she gave him the look. He'd come to recognize it older immortals tended to give it to him whenever he said something they considered pointless and stupid.

"Things are different for immortals," she said. "Sometimes friends kill each other without knowing or there are circumstances that made the fight unavoidable you just have to accept it when it happens." He was again reminded that as his teacher said he kept thinking like a mortal. "It gets easier after a few decades." He wasn't sure he wanted it to get easier but he nodded.

"Exactly what happened to cause this fight?" He noticed even as he asked that he and Amanda's own issues had been shoved onto the back burner. He wasn't completely happy about that but he knew he wouldn't have Amanda's full attention anytime soon and he needed that if they were going to work things out.

"I don't know yet I am going to call Ritchie in a little while and see if he's decided to tell me or not." He noticed she seemed nervous and he learned why when she finally spoke up. "If you want, I could introduce you to Duncan now?"

"Sure I'd like to meet him," he lied. He had no real interest in meeting Duncan Macleod but he knew it would make Amanda happy. He knew Amanda often said they had a lot in common but he was sure a four hundred year old Scottish immortal didn't have much in common with a forty something former cop.

XXXX

"You've been quiet ever since Amanda left." Ritchie glanced over at Gregor who was working on his lap top across the table from him. "I don't want to butt into personal matters but if you want to talk I'm willing."

"She wanted to know why Andrew Johnson and I ended up fighting," he said. "I've just been thinking about rather or not I should tell her or not." He wasn't sure if he should. "She seems to think she can help me and Duncan patch things up."

"Amanda does have a way of making Duncan see her point of view." Ritchie had to suppress a smile at that. Amanda was very good at manipulating Macleod to her point of view. "If you want my advice, I say you tell her."

"Connor thinks I should have told Duncan everything immediately," he said. "I don't know if that would have been better or worse than waiting for him to ask." He had to chuckle. "I swear for a moment I thought he was going to go for his sword."

"I think you should tell Amanda everything and ask her advice she can probably guess how Duncan will react better than I can." Gregor's voice was slightly tense. "I 'm not even sure he'll believe you." Ritchie nodded he wasn't sure Mac would believe him either and that was the worst part of it.

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer and notes on prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Six of Twelve

It was beginning to look like he was going to have to get involved with Macleod earlier than he'd wanted. He turned back to the computer screen with a frown. He wasn't officially a watcher anymore but he'd managed to acquire Joe's passwords so he could keep tabs on the immortals he wanted to avoid. It most likely wasn't a coincidence that Andreas Adler had arrived in France just after a newly awakened Macleod considering the fact that Cassandra had been with him just before she had let Macleod behead her. He and Joe had spent the first few months after Macleod's incapacitation trying to track down everything that Cassandra had done leading up to the race track.

Their research had raised a lot of questions and provided no answers. She'd gone out of her way to kill as many immortals as possible following that incident with the horsemen and yet when she'd ran into Andreas instead of taking his head she'd stayed with him for three months before heading directly to Paris where Macleod started seeing dead people and demons before he took her head at the race track. The fact that the last immortal to survive an encounter with Cassandra unharmed was now in Paris meant he had to let Macleod know.

XXXX

Joe was rather surprised that Duncan and Nick seemed to be getting along. There was still some tension present centered around Amanda but the two seemed to be bonding somewhat. Duncan had warmed considerably when he learned that Nick was a former cop. He wondered if Duncan had been expecting the worst when Amanda had called to let them know she was on her way with her current paramour.

Speaking of Amanda he hadn't seen her since she left to make a phone call. He glanced around looking for her and found her approaching the three of them with an odd look. "I need to meet someone for lunch will you be all right here Nick?"

"I'll be fine," he said and Joe watched her give him a quick kiss before leaving. "I guess he decided to talk to her after all." Joe wondered who the he Nick was referring to was.

"Who is she going to meet?" Duncan asked quickly. Joe wasn't surprised that he wasn't the only one wondering about Amanda taking off and leaving Nick there with them. Joe could tell Nick was debating rather or not to tell them.

"She went to talk to your former student earlier," he said. "She said she was going to call him later and see if he'd tell her why he killed one of your other friends." Joe looked over at Macleod who seemed shocked by th at.

"She's gone to talk to Ritchie about why he killed Andrew?" Nick nodded in response to Duncan's question. Joe was a bit surprised Amanda had seemed almost unconcerned about the event. "I wonder why he'd tell her." Duncan glanced over at Joe. "Did Ritchie and Amanda become closer while I was out of commission?"

"Not really," Joe had to admit. "They had that incident in Brazil but after that they didn't see each other again until a few days ago." He had a very good idea what was really going on but he wasn't going to say it to Macleod with Nick present.

"She's trying to help the two of you repair your friendship," Nick said surprising him. "She mentioned earlier that you weren't taking it well even though she doesn't see it as that big of a deal."

Joe decided to speak up before Nick got Duncan mad at Amanda. "She did mention earlier that she and Andrew weren't exactly friends," he said quickly. He wondered briefly what it was like to Duncan his entire world was upside down.

"I knew that," Duncan said tiredly. "Andrew, wasn't very fond of thieves so he and Amanda never exactly warmed up to each other." He frowned as he continued, "I still think she'd be worried by the fact Ritchie killed him." Joe didn't have a response to offer to that as privately he agreed.

XXXX

The tension in the room was broken by the approach of another immortal. "Connor's not due back until tonight," Duncan said worriedly. Nick had no clue who Connor was but he guessed he was a friend. The door finally opened and Methos entered so he relaxed. "Adam it's good to see you?" He guessed Macleod was using the oldest immortals alias in case he didn't know.

"We've got a problem," he said quickly. Nick saw him glance around and turn to face Joe. "Andreas Adler has shown up in the country." He glanced back and saw that Joe recognized the name.

"Are you sure?" Joe asked and when Methos nodded he turned toward Macleod. "Andreas Adler was the last immortal to see Cassandra and live before she showed up here." Nick could tell that upset Macleod a great deal.

"Do you have any idea why he is here?" He asked feeling out of place. "Could it be a coincidence?" He could tell even as he said it none of them thought it was.

"What do you know about him?" Duncan asked and he wasn't surprised when they ignored his question to focus on Duncan's. Joe looked nervous and glanced over at Methos apparently asking him to be the one to tell what they knew.

"He's around the twenty-three-hundred years old," he said. "He's been using the last name Adler since the 1920's." Nick was impressed with how old the immortal was other than Amanda and Methos he'd never met any more than one thousand before. "As far as we can tell he stayed out of history and before meeting Cassandra tended to only take heads when challenged." Nick noticed the implication immediately even though Methos still spelled it out. "Since spending three months with Cassandra he's been taking heads regularly for the last ten years."

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Amanda arrived to find Ritchie waiting for her at the place they'd agreed to meet. "So how was Nick getting along with Duncan," he asked curiously. "And when am I going to get a chance to meet him?"

"I'll introduce you soon but Nick isn't really what we are here to talk about," she said afraid if she gave him too much time he'd back out of talking to her. "And they seem to be getting along all right surprisingly." She looked at him. "Exactly what happened with you and Andrew?"

"He was looking for Macleod to kill him," he said simply. "I wouldn't tell him so he decided to kill me so Macleod would come running to avenge me." She knew she was staring at Ritchie but of all possible explanations she hadn't expected that one.

"Why would he want to kill Macleod?" It didn't make any sense at all. "I mean are you sure you didn't misunderstand him?" The look he gave her quelled any doubts. "Did he say why he wanted Duncan dead?"

"Yeah because he killed Sean Burns," he said. Amanda recalled her horror at learning what Duncan had done while under the influence of the dark quickening. "He ranted a lot about how the dark quickening only let loose what Mac really wanted." Amanda had no response to that it still didn't make any sense.

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer, notes and warning about lack of warnings on prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Seven of Twelve

"Are you sure Ritchie?" She had to ask. She still couldn't believe that Andrew would show up planning to kill Duncan for what happened with Sean Burns. He looked slightly offended by her question. "How would he even know anything about Dark Quickenings?" Before hearing about Duncan's she had just assumed it was an old myth.

"He claimed to have first hand experience," Ritchie said. "It was just one of the many things he ranted about during the fight." He sounded tired. "If I hadn't taken him by surprise with that second blade, I'd be dead now."

Amanda believed him about that Andrew would have been shocked by one of Duncan's students pulling a second blade. Duncan wasn't fond of immortals who pulled a second blade it clashed with his sense of honor. "Why did you have a second blade anyway?"

"I had it in case Mac had another breakdown," He said distractedly. "I mean sure I talked big saying he wouldn't get another free shot at my head but I wasn't stupid if Mac wanted my head he could take it without too much trouble." He smiled. "So after I nearly lost my own head to someone with a second blade," he paused. "I got one of my own just in case Mac came at me again figuring I could surprise him with it." She wondered if he'd have used that surprise to kill Duncan or run away. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that.

"Ritchie, I'm not sure Macleod will believe you about Andrew," she said to him. She wasn't even sure she believed it. "Maybe you should start at the beginning and tell me exactly what he said." She was afraid at first that he was going to refuse but he finally began to tell her.

"He showed up at the barge while I was still staying there before Methos sold it," he said. "He was demanding to speak with Macleod and I told him Mac wasn't available." He frowned in response, "He kept insisting and started to threaten me," He looked down. "He said he didn't have time to wait he'd put it off long enough."

He looked straight at her, "He told me that if Mac wouldn't show himself then he'd take my head so Mac would come after him." He paused to take a drink. "He said I deserved it for my time as a head hunter and killing Mako." He looked down, "I learned very quickly that I was outclassed." He frowned, "So I got the bright idea to bluff and told him if he took my head Mac would kill him."

"He said he knew Mac would try just like he always did when his students lost their head," He looked over at her. "He also pointed out the fact that no student of Duncan's ever lives more than a few decades so Mac wouldn't be surprised when I was gone just who killed me." Amanda glanced down that was probably an accurate assessment.

He laughed bitterly, "I found out from Connor that he was probably right." He shrugged, "I felt really stupid because I never wondered about any of Mac's former students."

"Duncan doesn't like to talk about his old students," she admitted. "I hate to say it Ritchie but you've already out lived a lot of them most immortals aren't good enough to live the way Mac does."

"So why does he insist on teaching us to live his way?" He looked at her pointedly. "I mean after a few failures you'd think he'd have gotten a clue." She detected quite a bit of bitterness and wondered exactly how angry at Duncan Ritchie still was.

"You'd have to ask him that Ritchie," she said. "Back to the situation with Andrew what did he say about Duncan?" He looked slightly annoyed at her for changing the subject so she feared he wasn't going to answer her question.

"I told you he wanted Macleod to kill Mac cause of him taking Sean Burns head," he said tiredly. "I told him it wasn't Mac's fault but then he brought up something I didn't have an answer for," he seemed really disturbed. "He asked if Mac had been able to harm any mortals while he was running around supposedly driven to the dark side," he said. "I was forced to admit he couldn't bring himself to kill Joe and Andrew had used that as proof that Mac was only letting his repressed desires out."

"You don't believe him about Duncan do you?" she was worried that he did. If he did, it would probably mean he and Duncan would never patch things up. "Methos believes Duncan experienced a dark quickening and I believe him." She hoped that statement would illicit agreement from Ritchie.

"I believe he wasn't in his right mind during that episode," he said. "But I also don't think it's quiet as clear cut as the bad quickening made him do it all." She was surprised by that statement. "I don't think we need to go into this now Amanda," he looked tired. "I'm gonna head back to Greg's apartment now you've heard why I killed him and now it's up to you to decide rather you believe me or not."

She was unsure what to say to him as he left. She wondered what he'd meant by that cryptic response about the not being sure the dark quickening had been responsible for it all. She needed to talk to Nick. She wasn't sure she believed him about Andrew wanting to kill Duncan. However, she knew Andrew had a judgmental streak in him if he'd thought Macleod needed to be killed he might have been willing to kill Ritchie to get at Duncan.

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"Report," he said after answering the phone. He'd sent his servant ahead to watch Macleod's watcher and photograph anyone who came to speak with him. Cassandra had described Methos to him so he was confident he could recognize the oldest immortal if he saw a photo of him.

"I believe the target has shown himself I'm sending the images to you now," he was glad he'd put off getting rid of this servant as the images appeared on the screen of his laptop. "Shall I continue my observations sir?" He had to smile as he recognized the oldest immortal from Cassandra's descriptions.

"Yes continue observation I want to know how many of his friends and acquaintances are in the area." After his servant's affirmative, he ended the call and set back to stare at Methos' face. Recalling the prophecy Cassandra had given him once he'd taken Macleod and Methos' heads that he'd be assured of winning the prize. He'd never truly believed in the prize or that he'd win it even if it did exist. However Cassandra had opened his eyes and shown him that not only the prize existed and how he could win it. He had to smile just two more heads and he'd be invisible.

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"How did it go?" Greggor asked him when he arrived back at the condo. He just shook his head, "She didn't believe you?" He was glad to hear the disbelief evident in Greggor's voice.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I think she's having trouble seeing how anyone who was friends with Macleod could want him dead." He knew Amanda still thought the sun shown out of Mac's ass sometimes.

"I can certainly see it," Greggor said. "I mean I'm grateful Macleod got me help but he did kill my therapist." Ritchie glanced at his friend. "I'm just not crazy enough any more to try to take his head as payback."

"Anyway I'll just have to give Amanda time if she won't believe me then I doubt Mac will," he said tiredly.

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer notes and warnings on prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Eight of Twelve

Amanda sighed as she was approaching Joe's bar. She still didn't know rather to believe Ritchie or not about Andrew. She wanted to believe him but the story was rather far fetched. However, she wasn't quiet ready to rule it out because if Andrew had believed Macleod was responsible for his actions he would have probably tried to kill him. She would have to talk it over with Nick when she got a chance. The fact he still had a mortal's perspective on things might come in handy this time.

She felt the familiar sensation of other immortals gathered in Joe's bar and slowed down to approach. It never hurt to be cautious even if she was almost 100 percent sure who was in the bar.

She entered the bar cautiously and relaxed once she saw the expected immortals present. Though she had to admit seeing, Methos in the bar was a bit of a surprise. After a quick look around to make sure there wasn't anyone who shouldn't hear she greeted him happily. "Methos, it's good to see you again."

"Amanda always a pleasure," he said smiling at her then he frowned. "I just wish it was under better circumstances." She glanced at the others and saw they all looked tense.

"What's going on?" she asked. She saw everyone but Duncan exchange glances. Finally Joe told her all about Andreas Adler and how he was in Paris. She didn't know what to think though she agreed with Joe and Methos that it couldn't be a coincidence.

"Did Ritchie tell you why he killed Andrew?" Duncan asked suddenly. Everyone else looked as shocked as she was. She glanced at Nick realizing he must have let slip who she was going to meet.

"Mac, I really think we should focus on the Andreas situation." Amanda shot a grateful look at Joe. She didn't want to have this conversation with Duncan in front of everyone. She knew as soon as she looked at his face that Duncan wasn't going to budge.

"This can't wait," Duncan said gruffly. "I need to know why Ritchie killed Andrew." Amanda found herself trapped she could tell by Duncan's demeanor that he wasn't going to let this go but if Andreas was a danger to him then he needed to prepare. There was no telling what his time in a coma had done to his skills.

"He did," she said. "I'm not going to tell you what he said though." She saw him start. "You'll have to talk to Ritchie about it." She couldn't read Duncan after he paused. "I can call him and ask him to come here so the two of you can talk?"

"No," Duncan said after a moment. "I want Connor there when the two of us talk." Amanda didn't understand why but the look in Duncan's eyes made it clear it was important to him. "He should be back tonight so we'll all talk tomorrow."

XXXX

"That was Amanda," Ritchie said as he hung up the phone. "She says Mac wants to talk tomorrow." He could tell that Greggor wasn't thrilled with that request. "She wanted to do it today but Mac apparently wanted Connor there for some reason."

"That's good," Greggor said. "I'll come as well." Ritchie was a bit surprised at that. He'd gotten the impression that Greg had shown up for him and not out of any real desire to see Macleod again.

"You don't have to," he said quickly. He knew Greggor's presence might make things a bit more tense with Macleod. He had never told Mac that he had slept with men before. Tessa he could have told but the conversation had never come up as at first he was too busy trying not to upset the good thing he'd found and after he got used to being around them he had pegged Tessa as someone he could tell and Mac as someone not to tell. He'd never thought Mac would be homophobic but he had thought Mac might treat him differently without meaning too.

"I want to come," Greggor said startling him out of his thoughts. "Unless you don't want me to come?" The other immortal seemed slightly hurt by the implication.

"No, I want you to come," he said. "I just don't know how Mac's going to react to my reasons for killing one friend and the fact I'm sleeping with another." Greggor smiled in response. "This would be so much easier if Tessa was still alive." He really missed her a great deal. He'd never asked if Macleod had told her that he was a pre-immortal, and he doubted it because she'd been worried about him whenever he got hurt. He liked to think that she hadn't had any ulterior motives for her friendship with him like Mac had.

XXXX

"Why isn't Macleod more concerned about that other immortal?" He asked Amanda once they were back in their hotel room. "I mean isn't that the more immediate problem instead of patching things up with this Ritchie person?"

"I think Duncan is concerned about the threat he represents and that's where the sudden drive to patch things up with Ritchie comes from." His expression must have shown how little he understood that. "Duncan is smart enough to know not to go into a possible fight with a lot of baggage distracting you." He understood it that time.

"So he doesn't want to fight this Andreas Adler while worried over why one friend killed another," he asked. He watched her nod slightly, "You said he told you why he did it?" She nodded again. "Was it a good reason?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "If his story is true then yes it is a good reason." He could tell something was bugging her. He waited hoping that she'd say more but it was becoming clear she wasn't.

"Do you think he's lying?" He asked. He could tell the question threw her. She looked at him and then looked down. He wondered what that meant. She looked tired and he wondered what kind fo toll this was taking on her. She'd always seemed nearly unflappable but this new slightly vulnerable Amanda was throwing him slightly off kilter.

"I know Ritchie well enough that I don't think he's lying," she said after a moment. "But his explanation doesn't make any sense to me at all." She turned toward him. "Let's not talk about this any more it'll all be over tomorrow night no matter how it turns out."

Nick put his arm around her in a gesture offering comfort. He didn't like her resigned tone. He wondered again at the nature of her relationship with Macleod it seemed to have so much baggage he was amazed they didn't hate each other.

XXXX

Duncan sat alone thinking. He knew the others were curious why he'd insisted Connor had to be there but the truth was he didn't trust himself not to try to take Ritchie's head. He still recalled Cassandra's comments that everything in his dream had been something he wanted. He couldn't think of any reason that he could possible want Ritchie dead but if she was telling the truth then some part of him did.

He'd have dismissed it utterly if it wasn't for the fact during his dark quickening he'd gone out of his way to torment Ritchie. He didn't like to think about that experience often especially not the sick pleasure he'd gotten in having his friend helpless before him. If Joe hadn't shown up and shot him Ritchie would be dead. Even though he still missed her, he was glad Tessa hadn't been alive to see him during his dark quickening. He never would have been able to face her if he'd gone after her the way he had Ritchie.

He stopped thinking about that immediately. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd have never hurt Tessa. He hadn't even been able to bring himself to kill Joe and he'd been pissed at him for interfering. That was the thing that really bothered him though. He'd been willing to kill Ritchie and he had killed Sean but he hadn't been able to raise a hand against Joe. It made him wonder if he'd been more in control than he thought. He turned his thoughts back to the dream wondering if that really was how he wanted the world to be all his friends dead and gone with he alone and happy as the only one left.

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer notes and warnings on Prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Nine of Twelve

Amanda stared at the ceiling as she waited for the alarm to go off. She hadn't slept much at all her mind racing with the possibilities of how this day was going to go. She could feel Nick shifting restlessly beside her. He had managed to sleep but she could tell it wasn't very restful her agitation and nerves clearly affecting him.

She still couldn't figure out if she believed Ritchie or not and had no clue how Duncan was going to react. She didn't think Duncan would go for Ritchie's head but she was worried that he'd cut all ties with him. Duncan had done it before with a couple of students who offended his moral code. Most students didn't survive long after word got out that their teacher no longer wanted anything to do with them. It basically hung a target on them that they could be killed without any chance of reprisal from an older and more experienced immortal.

Ritchie would have it easier than most if Duncan cut all ties with him. He'd had the ten years while Duncan was incapacitated to learn to survive without any chance of going to his teacher for help. She didn't think it would be an automatic death sentence if Duncan kicked him out of his life but it would make things more difficult for him for a while. At least until he killed enough of the head hunters that would be gunning for his head to discourage them.

The worst part would be not seeing Ritchie again. She had always liked him well enough and that time in Brazil with him and Cory had been a great deal of fun. However, the fact was she would choose Duncan over him and they both knew it. If Duncan cut Ritchie out of his life then he'd expect his friends to do the same. He'd never come out and ask it of them but every time he would hear of them associating with Ritchie he'd get that disappointed look and they'd inevitable stop seeing Ritchie. It had happened before with other students or friends of Duncan and she didn't want to see it happen again.

She glanced at Nick again and felt guilty. She loved Nick but she knew he would never understand why she would choose Duncan over Ritchie. He would also probably ask her if she'd choose Duncan over him. She didn't want him to ever ask that question because she knew their relationship wouldn't survive the answer. She loved him but she and Duncan had so much history and feelings between them that she'd always put him first. The fact he wouldn't do the same for her was probably the real reason they never seemed to last when they gave it a go as a couple.

She didn't like thinking about it so she decided to do something to take her mind off her problems. She leaned in and kissed Nick until he had woken up. "I can't sleep," she said as she straddled him. "Help me take my mind off things," she asked. He complied as she felt slightly guilty for using sex with him to distract herself from her thoughts.

XXXX

Duncan jogged down the streets of Paris doing his best to ignore the doubts swirling in his head. He'd decided to go out jogging to clear his head after a restless night. He'd dreamt of Cassandra's final comments and his fears about how accurate they were off and on throughout the night.

He'd hoped the chill morning air and the exertion of jogging would help to clear his head. He turned a familiar corner and found himself looking at Darius church. He wished his friend was still among the living. He would have been able to tell him everything that was going through his head and if any immortal could have helped him make sense of it, it would have been Darius.

He was shaken from thinking about his deceased friend by the presence of another immortal approaching. He turned glancing around until he found the source. He recognized him immediately from the picture Joe had shown him. Andreas Adler was not the most imposing immortal he'd ever encountered but he knew not to underestimate him. He'd met some of the immortals the other man had killed in the last ten years and they were very good. "Do not be alarmed Macleod I am here to talk," he said as he pointed toward Darius church.

He kept an eye on the other immortal as they crossed over onto the sanctuary offered by Holy ground. He waited as he wasn't going to start this conversation. He hadn't expected the other immortal to seek him out for any reason other than to take his head. "Cassandra, asked me to give you this," the other immortal said handing him a sealed letter.

Duncan looked down at the envelope in his hand and frowned. "I must admit I thought you'd be more impressive looking considering how she talked about you," Andreas said after a brief pause. "I find it hard to believe you are one of the ten I have to kill to assure myself of the prize but I trust Cassandra's prophecy."

"Are you ready to try to kill me now," he said to the other man angrily. He didn't like hearing that Cassandra had given his name in one of her prophecies to this immortal. He had practiced a little with Connor after his revival but he wasn't in top form yet after ten years of being comatose.

"Oh no I'll give you two weeks to settle your affairs," the other man said smiling. Duncan felt a sense of foreboding this man was completely confident that he could win. He had encountered immortals like that before and they usually could back up that confidence. "I'll see you in two weeks, Macleod."

He watched the other man leave and looked back down at the letter in his hands. He was almost afraid to open it as it meant that Cassandra wasn't finished with him. She'd arranged all this before she'd trapped him in that dream world and it terrified him. He'd always respected her power and abilities but now they truly terrified him. She had somehow foreseen this moment and left him a letter as part of some plan. He shook his head to clear it and opened the letter.

He was horrified to discover it offered no clue into why she had done it only a rather chilling pronouncement. It seemed Cassandra's final message to him was he'd have to kill Methos to win the fight with Andreas. He frowned as he stared at the letter stating that after he died at Andreas hands Methos would be next and then Adler would be unstoppable. However, she assured him that if he took the oldest immortals head himself then he'd win the fight against the other possible destined champion. She also said it would secure his place as the final winner of the game.

XXXX

Joe sat behind the bar cleaning the glasses as he watched Duncan brood in the corner while Amanda and Nick set huddled together at the end of the bar. Connor was outside waiting for Ritchie and Methos had called informing them he wasn't coming at all.

He didn't know what bothered him more that the oldest immortal had skipped out on what was sure to be an awkward and tense affair or how much he wished he could have done the same. He'd been convinced this was going to be a disaster ever since Mac had returned from his early morning job brooding about something he refused to talk about. He wondered if Macleod had encountered another immortal that morning.

He'd have to check the watcher reports for the day once they'd all been filed to find out. Macleod had responded irritably when he'd asked if anything happened on his jog. He wished Mac would call off this whole meeting until he was in a better mood. He didn't think now was the best time to discuss why Ritchie killed one of his friends.

He was about to chance suggesting it when the three immortals in his bar all turned to look toward the door. He figured it was too late now as that probably meant Ritchie was on his way in. Connor entered after a short pause followed by Ritchie and Greggor. "Why is he here?" He found himself asking. He knew all about Ritchie's relationship with the other immortal but he didn't think it was the best time to bring it up to Macleod.

"He's with me," Ritchie said simply as he turned to face Macleod. "Let's get this over with," he said tiredly. Joe frowned this was going to be even messier than he had feared. He once again wished he'd been able to skip out on it like Methos had.

To be continued...

Next Chapter will pick up right where this one leaves off.


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer notes and warning about lack of warnings on prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Ten of Twelve

Nick frowned as the mood in the bar shifted slightly. He had no clue who the other immortal with Ritchie was. He'd recognized Ritchie from the description Amanda had given him. He could tell that everyone else in the bar knew who the other man was. "Gregor, I didn't expect to see you here." Duncan Macleod said in a hurried tone. Nick got the impression he wasn't exactly thrilled to see the other man.

"I'm just here to support a friend," the smaller man said. Nick noticed that several others in the room shared knowing glances while Duncan looked slightly confused. He wished Amanda had filled him in a bit more on what was going on with this situation.

"Never mind him, Mac," Ritchie said quickly. "Let's just get to what we are here about." Nick could tell Macleod didn't like being kept in the dark but he nodded and led Ritchie over to the tables where the rest of them were sitting. He noticed that the other man Gregor took a spot as far from Macleod as possible without being obviously rude about it.

"Anyway Mac you want to know why I killed Andrew," Ritchie said calmly. Nick watched as Macleod nodded. "Well it's simple; he was doing his best to kill me at the time." Nick saw shock clearly evident on Macleod and Joe's faces.

"Why would he want to kill you?" Macleod asked after a moment. Nick could tell that Macleod was having trouble believing his friend would want to kill the other man. He glanced over at Amanda to see that she was holding her breath.

"He had several reasons, one was me killing Mako and another was my time as a head hunter." He found himself staring at the young man. He hadn't known that Macleod's former student had been a head hunter. "But mainly he wanted to kill me so you'd come after him to avenge me like every other student your training got killed."

Nick glanced over to see that Joe was especially shocked by that statement. He wondered what Ritchie meant by Macleod's training getting killed. "Why did Andrew want me to come after him?" Macleod asked causing him to turn his attention back to the discussion taking place in the middle of the bar.

"He wanted to kill you in response to you killing Sean Burns." The younger man said darkly. "He seemed to think the dark quickening wasn't an excuse for what you did." He felt even more lost as he had no idea what a dark quickening was. He could tell everyone else in the room was aware of it though and seemed to be thinking hard about what was going on.

"You have to admit Duncan," Amanda said speaking up. "Jackson was always extremely strict when it came to his interpretation of right and wrong." She smiled weakly as she said, "He certainly threatened to take my head a couple of times over minor things."

"And Sean helped a lot of us." The strange immortal Gregor said. "Not all of his friends and former patients are willing to let you off the hook just because you weren't in your right mind at the time." He frowned so apparently now Macleod had killed someone they all were friends with while being crazy. He really needed to sit Amanda down and make her fill him in on all of this.

"I guess that explains everything," Macleod said after a moment. "Well almost everything." He saw Amanda frown and he wondered what she was dreading. "Why did you have a second blade Ritchie?" He could tell instantly from Amanda's face that this was the question she was dreading.

"I had it in case you lost the plot again Mac," Ritchie said darkly. "You've tried taking my head twice while not in your right mind and I figured it'd be a nasty surprise for you if you did it again." Nick was slightly taken aback at the anger clear in the other man's voice. "I have no intention of ending up like your other students and living less than a century." He glanced around the room to see that most of them were shocked by that statement. "Anyway Mac, I've said explained as much as I can so if your going to come after my head just give me a head start okay?"

"I'm not going to try to take your head," Macleod said though Nick wasn't sure he meant it. "I just need to think about things a while before we can talk again." He turned toward the door. "I'm going to take a walk." Nick had to fight his jealousy when he turned toward Amanda and asked her to come along. "I could use some company." He didn't like the way Macleod said it or how quick Amanda jumped up and trailed after him.

"Get used to it buddy," Ritchie said from behind him. "Duncan is always going to be first in Amanda's life." He turned to regard the other immortal with a frown. "You haven't been immortal long enough to learn but older immortals have a lot of baggage in the romance department."

Nick frowned, it hadn't occurred to him before now that while he was technically older than the younger man he had been an immortal for less time. It was a bizarre situation. "What did that comment on Macleod's training methods mean Ritchie?" Joe asked speaking up for the first time since Macleod had left.

"Exactly what I said Joe," Ritchie said turning toward him. "No beginner immortal is good enough to live the way Mac wants us too." He looked over at Nick. "None of Mac's other students are alive, and they all lost their heads trying to live the way Mac does." He looked over at the watcher. "I mean very few people are good enough to constantly stick their nose into the affairs of every mortal and immortal they come across."

"That's not fair to Mac Ritchie; he just tries the best he can to help people." Joe said quickly. Nick could tell that Ritchie wasn't buying it. "Are you saying you think Mac's a bad person Ritchie?"

"No just deeply flawed," Ritchie said darkly. "He'll forgive his long time friends nearly anything but the rest of us have to live his way or else we get sent off to live on our own." Nick was surprised at the bitterness in the other immortal's voice. "Don't even try to deny it Joe." Ritchie said giving the other man a dark look. "I've had ten years to come to terms with Macleod and I'm willing to be his friend but I won't go back to living the way he wants me too that will only get me killed."

Nick glanced at Joe and could tell he wanted to argue but the look on the other man's face made it clear it would be pointless. He found himself wondering about Macleod again and which view seemed right. Amanda and Joe seemed to talk about Macleod as if he was the greatest immortal alive but his former student didn't seem to share that view anymore.

XXXX

"Do you believe him?" Duncan asked her once they were several blocks away from Joe's place. "I mean do you really think Andrew would try to kill him just to draw me out." She could tell from his voice he was confused.

"I know Ritchie well enough to know he's not lying," she said quickly. "I don't know if that's what Jackson was really trying to do or not." She looked over at Duncan. "Or perhaps he was just suffering some kind of breakdown." She really didn't believe that she wasn't even sure if Ritchie was being completely honest but this would help Duncan deal with it and that was the most important. "I mean it doesn't seem like Jackson's style to blame Ritchie for just a few deaths so early in his life." She knew that was a complete lie, and Jackson would have killed Ritchie just for the headhunting.

"I suppose you're right," Duncan said looking away. "I should stop worrying about this and decide how I'm going to deal with the Adler problem." She looked over at him and frowned that wasn't like Duncan something sounded off. He normally would have settled things with Ritchie completely before worrying about Adler.

"What's wrong Duncan what aren't you telling us," she asked staring into his eyes. He looked over at her and then turned away. "What is it tell me please?" She wasn't sure he was going to tell her but then he turned and nodded slowly.

She waited for what seemed like ages before he spoke. "I didn't see Cassandra when I took her head I saw Ritchie," he said simply. She knew her face had to be filled with horror. "That's not the worst of it." He sounded on the verge of tears. "I kept dreaming from that moment onward over the last ten years." He looked over at her with his eyes filled with sadness. "I saw everyone die, you, Joe, Connor and even Methos." He then looked away. "I don't know what Cassandra did but she put me through hell."

She wasn't sure he was telling her everything but he'd told her enough. "Duncan you need to go talk to Methos about this," she said quickly. "If anyone will know how to explain what Cassandra did it'll be him." She wasn't sure even the oldest immortal fully understood Cassandra's powers but if anyone did it would be him.

"I'll think about it," Duncan said tiredly. "But I think I need to be alone for a little while." He turned and looked her with a sad expression. "It has been very good to see you again." She felt her blood run cold as he turned and walked off.

He wouldn't survive a fight with Adler she was sure of that. She knew what she had to do so she turned and headed for her hotel room. She had some favors to call in if she was going to find him and deal with him before he killed Duncan.

XXXX

Andreas Adler smiled to himself as he felt the sensation of another immortal approaching. Cassandra's prophecy was continuing to fulfill itself. "Hello Amanda just as Cassandra predicted." He said turning to face the female immortal. "So you are here to kill me so Duncan doesn't have to face the end Cassandra foretold."

"Draw your sword," She said angrily. He could tell she meant to see him dead out of her desire to protect Duncan. It was rare for her to seek a direct confrontation with another immortal especially one older than herself. "If you don't, I'll cut you down where you stand." She said again showing her anger."

"No, you won't your going to drop your sword," He said watching as her eyes widened in astonishment as she did as he said. The sword's clang wasn't even silent as she started to reach down for it. "Stop just step back and get on your knees." He watched as she followed his instructions.

"How are you doing this?" She said her voice cracking with anger and desperation. He just smiled at her and picked up her sword. He swung it toward her neck watching as she closed her eyes. He stopped just short of striking her and waited for her to open them.

"Cassandra taught me many things," he said watching her stare at him with shock and fear. "I will fight Macleod and Macleod alone anyone else tries to interfere and I won't pull back my stroke." He smiled at her. "Be sure to tell the rest of Macleod's friends not to interfere otherwise they'll die." He smiled. "You can also assure Macleod that I'll fight him fairly and not use the gifts Cassandra has given me as my victory is assured even without them."

To Be Continued...

It's been a while since I've updated this fic. I've been suffering major writers block and my time to write has become nearly non existent. I should finish this story in the next few weeks if I have time.


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer notes and warning about lack of warnings on prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Eleven of Twelve

"And that's what he said," She said to Duncan seeing the disappointment she knew she'd see there. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have gone after him but Duncan you aren't in any shape to face him." The worst part of saying that to him was seeing that he clearly agreed with her. "Duncan, you need to resolve this mess with Ritchie and get yourself ready to face this guy."

"It's not just what's going on with Ritchie or what I dreamed," Duncan said sounding tired. "There is a lot more to what Cassandra did to me than you know." Before she could ask, he started talking again. "I wasn't just asleep I was dreaming and dealing with what I dreamed is proving difficult."

"Tell me about I'll do my best to help you work through it," She said wondering what he could have dreamed that would tear him up inside like this. She knew immediately that Duncan wasn't going to tell her she could see it in his eyes.

"I can't talk about it yet Amanda," Duncan said with a pained expression. "I have to finish working through it myself before I can even begin to discuss it with anyone." Even though she'd expected it she still felt hurt that he didn't trust her enough to tell her.

"I'll go tell the others to stay away from Adler just in case any of them are considering trying to kill him," She said hoping he'd change his mind and tell her everything. "I still think you should talk to Methos or Connor about handling the tricks Cassandra taught him." She wasn't sure even they would know how to handle them but Methos was the oldest and Connor had supposedly studied with a famous sorcerer in Japan once.

"I intend to talk with Methos soon," Duncan said though he didn't sound very happy about it. He must have guessed she was going to ask him for more details because he quickly changed the subject. "Nick seems like a good guy I'm glad the two of you are happy," He said wistfully. She felt bad as she once again was reminded how off Duncan seemed he wasn't even smooth enough to change the subject gracefully anymore.

"I'm not sure we are happy Duncan," She admitted truthfully surprising herself. "I think he might be better off with someone who can put him first." She could tell Duncan was also surprised at her honesty. "I should really be going," She said knowing she might make a mistake if she stayed any longer.

"Don't go," Duncan said sounding just as lost as she suddenly felt. She should have known it would eventually come to this. "Just call Joe and let him warn the others he can do that," Duncan said. She knew instantly she wasn't going to leave. She'd hate herself in the morning but she was going to stay.

XXXX

Nick put the phone down after Joe had called him telling him about what Amanda attempted. He knew he should be furious about it but he was more concerned with the fact Joe had passed on a message that Amanda was going to lay low elsewhere incase Adler came after her to protect him. He was sure she was with Macleod he'd seen it coming ever since they got here and wasn't surprised that Amanda made that choice.

He was debating if he should stay and talk things out when she finally decided to tell him or if he should make it easier on her and leave. As much as he'd like to just pack his bags and go he knew he wouldn't. He'd followed her to France to talk things out so they were going to do it even if he had to wait until this crisis blew over.

He had a feeling Amanda wouldn't actually be capable of talking about anything until afer Macleod and Adler met in combat. He found himself wondering how Amanda would take it if Macleod lost the fight. He hoped she wouldn't try to avenge him and get herself killed. He knew his relationship with her was doomed but he didn't want to see her die.

He decided that in the morning he'd seek out Father Liam and talk with him about everything going on. He could use some of his friend's advice and it would probably help him decide exactly what to do about Amanda.

XXXX

She got back to the hotel room she was sharing with Nick to find it completely deserted. She felt incredibly guilty after her first instinct was relief that she didn't have to face him yet. She felt even worse when she read the note he'd left her saying he'd gone to see Father Liam and they'd talk about what really happened last night some other time.

She had known he'd figure it out. He was a former cop after all. She'd been planning to tell him immediately but to learn that he'd known since Joe called him made her feel worse than before. She pushed her worries and guilt about Nick out of her mind. She would deal with her relationship with Nick after she figured out how to keep Duncan alive. He'd gotten up early to go take a walk to think about things and then planned to talk to Methos. She'd been glad at first that he was going to talk to the older immortal but something about last night was still bothering her.

She had initially thought Duncan was only asking for company to take his mind off what had happened to him but now she was beginning to fear it was him saying goodbye. She wanted to go track him down and confront him but that wouldn't do any good. So instead she picked up the phone and dialed the number for the oldest immortal. "Methos, Has Duncan shown up there yet?" She asked once the groggy voice appeared on the line.

"No, Macleod hadn't graced me with his presence yet this morning." The older immortal sounded extremely irritated. "I take it I should expect a visit from him at some point today if you are calling to bother me."

She forced her own irritation under control. "I think he's expecting to die Methos," She said quickly. "I need you to help get his head on straight so he can win this fight." She waited while the other line was silent.

"I'll see what I can do," Methos finally said and hung up on her. She resisted the temptation to call him back. She knew he was uncomfortable with the whole situation since all this was indirectly his fault. Cassandra had been a product of what Methos made her and had taken her frustration out on Duncan.

There was also still one other person who could help Duncan. She decided she needed to find Connor and tell him about her fears. She quickly scribbled a note to Nick promising to explain everything later and headed out the door. She would handle things face to face this time.

XXXX

He felt the sensation of another Immortal and looked around sharply relaxing slightly when he saw it was Amanda's current boyfriend. He wasn't going to let his guard down completely since based on Amanda's description of the guy he sounded a lot like Mac. "Amanda, isn't with you?" He asked even though he could already tell the answer.

"She's probably still with Macleod," the other man said bitterly. "I don't suppose you know why she's willing to drop everything for him do you?" Ritchie could tell by the other man's expression that he didn't expect an answer.

"That's the effect Mac has on other immortals," He said deciding to answer him anyway. "A few years ago I'd be right there with Amanda doing whatever I could to get Mac back on his feet." He still wanted Mac to recover he couldn't be Mac's student again.

Nick looked extremely confused and once again he found himself feeling bad for the other immortal. "Do you want to know why you and Amanda can't seem to work things out?" He didn't know if the other immortal would like what he had to say but it might help him understand Amanda a bit better. He waited until the other man gave an affirmative before telling him. "You and Amanda are approaching your relationship from two different perspectives."

Nick looked confused so he tried to explain it better. "You still think like a mortal so your looking at it as if it's a relationship you were having back when you were still normal." He could tell Nick understood that at least. "Amanda, on the other hand is approaching your relationship as someone who hasn't been mortal for a long time."

"So your saying it's never going to work out between us?" Nick asked sounding as if he'd already given up and just wanted someone to tell him not to bother. He shook his head no so Nick said, "Then what do I have to do to make it work?"

"You have to learn to think like an immortal," He said to the other man. "Just like I said earlier you have to accept that relationships between immortals come with a heck of a lot of baggage and can last on and off for centuries." He smiled slightly at the other man. "Even if you and Amanda do work out there'll probably be times when you want to behead each other and need to keep some distance for a few decades."

"No offense, but that sounds like a crappy way to live." Nick said sounding disgusted. "The more I get to know about what it means to be an immortal the less I want to be one." He agreed with the other immortal back when he first met Mac and Tessa he'd thought being immortal would be so cool.

"This might shock you but I agree but we take the hand we are dealt." He smiled slightly to himself. "It's fight for your life every so often or run off to live in holy ground like some kind of hermit." He wondered what the other immortal's response to that would be. Of course before the other immortal could say anything his cell phone started ringing. "Hang on, let me get that." He said to the other man.

XXXX

He stood waiting in the courtyard of what was once Darius Church with a frown on his face. He'd called Ritchie and asked him to meet him here a while ago and there was still no sign of his former student. He had reached a decision about what to do about the situation with Ritchie last night while Amanda slept. He still wasn't sure what to do about the Adler situation but he knew he had to settle things with Ritchie first.

He finally felt the presence of another immortal and soon enough Ritchie walked through the courtyard gates. "You wanted to see me Mac," Ritchie said sounding wary. He was glad Ritchie was wary it would make this easier.

"Yes," He said to his former student. "I'd like to start by apologizing for not being as good a teacher as I should have been." He could tell that statement shocked Ritchie. He didn't want Ritchie to say anything because what he had to say next was going to be hard enough as it was. "I also want to tell you to leave Paris and stay far away from me"

"What!" Ritchie said in shock. "What the hell are you on about Mac first you apologize and then you tell me to get lost," His former student's anger and shock was obvious. He was about to try to explain when suddenly Ritchie got very calm and asked. "Can I have an explanation for why you want me gone?"

This was it the moment he'd been dreading. "Because Ritchie, part of me wants you dead." He was disappointed that Ritchie didn't react. "Cassandra's attack on me has opened my eyes and if I ever lose it again I will kill you."

"Why exactly do you want me dead?" Ritchie asked his tone still oddly neutral. "Is it because I lived while Tessa died?" He was shocked to hear Ritchie voice the same conclusion he'd already come too. When he only nodded Ritchie didn't seem surprised. "I guess I should go pack my bags and say goodbye to the others."

"I'm sorry it has to be this way Ritchie," He truly was sad about it. "If everything turns out all right with Adler perhaps in a few decades, we can meet up again safely." He could tell instantly that Ritchie didn't believe that was likely.

"Maybe," Ritchie said his voice slightly cold. "Goodbye Mac." He started to call out to tell Ritchie to stop but he knew he couldn't it would be better for both of them if Ritchie was gone.

Once Ritchie was out of sight he forced himself to focus on what to do about Adler it was time he talked to Methos.

XXXX

She entered the hotel room feeling slightly better, Connor had agreed to talk with Duncan about the situation with Cassandra once he got back from seeing Methos. She was confident that between his teacher and the oldest immortal Duncan could get the advice he needed.

She felt the presence of another immortal and turned her hand on her sword. She was pretty sure it was Nick back from talking with Father Liam but she couldn't afford to get careless. She hadn't survived more than a thousand years by letting her guard down. She relaxed and took her hand off the sword once Nick came into the room. "Nick, How is Father Liam?"

"The same as always," He said tiredly. "I'm not going to dance around the issue Amanda." She was filled with a sense of dread as he asked. "Did you sleep with Macleod last night?" She only nodded not trusting herself to speak.

"I thought so," he said tiredly. "I'm going to pack my bags and leave for a while." She was shocked but before she could say anything he continued. "I don't think this is goodbye forever but I need time to really deal with being an immortal and I can't do that while dealing with my feelings for you."

"Nick, stay we can work this out," She said but he shook his head no. "If I promise not to see Mac again would you stay?" She was shocked at herself for blurting that out. He just smiled sadly and she knew that he realized she couldn't' really keep that promise.

"Maybe I'll see you in a few years," Nick said heading toward his suitcase carrying his few belongings that had migrated around the room. "Good bye Amanda," He said as he zipped it closed.

She wanted to say so much but all she ended up saying was, "Goodbye Nick" After that she watched him walk out the door and walk away from her again. At least this time she knew he could take care of himself.

XXXX

"Well Macleod what do you want to talk to me about?" Methos said as he led him into his current apartment. He could tell Methos was uncomfortable with him being here and he wondered again what was in the note Cassandra had left for the oldest immortal.

"I need to know what Cassandra said to you in that letter." He could tell that Methos had expected the question. The oldest immortal didn't seem inclined to answer as Methos turned to stare at his impressive collection of first edition books. "I have to know Methos."

"It was basically a laundry list of my crimes against her and the claim that I'd get what was coming to me when I betrayed you," Methos said with a forced causal air. "It was the rambling of an insane woman, Macleod, it won't be much help to you."

He didn't agree it partially confirmed a fear as he doubted Cassandra could have missed the obvious solution to preventing Adler from winning. "Do you think Cassandra could have booby trapped me to insure if you took my head you'd suffer some how?"

"I doubt it Macleod," Methos said calmly. "I think that would be beyond even Cassandra's ability." He smiled darkly. "I imagine she only implied that to ensure I'd keep you alive until her spell ran its course."

"I'm glad to hear that," He said honestly meaning it. "Cassandra, sent me a letter saying I'd have to kill you to defeat Adler." Methos didn't seem surprised. "The only other option I can see is for you to take my head so Adler can't." Methos did seem surprised by that statement.

"We've had this conversation before Macleod, and I'm not taking your head." Methos tone conveyed his annoyance. "I'm especially not going to risk getting cursed by Cassandra because you don't think you can win a fight with Adler."

"I thought you didn't believe she cursed me," He said annoyed at the oldest immortal for changing his mind mid stream. He needed Methos to kill him so Adler wouldn't win the prize he had no doubt Cassandra was right about that fact. If Adler got him and Methos then the game was all but over for everyone else.

"I said I doubted it not that I was completely convinced." Methos said with a dark look. "Until that night ten years ago I didn't know one immortal could put another into a coma." Methos said vaguely. "Find someone else to take your head if you really want to die."

"There is no one else," He said annoyed. He suddenly knew what he had to do. "If you won't take my head then I'll take yours." He drew his sword and attacked. He had no doubt that Methos would kill him to save himself he doubted Methos would really let him win.

"Stop this Macleod," Methos said in a shocked tone of voice as he automatically defended himself. He remained silent and just fought harder he had to make the older immortal see this as a serious threat so he'd fight back as hard as possible. Then when the time was right he'd let his guard down and it would be over Cassandra's prophecy would be foiled.

"Enough of this," Methos aid angrily and began to fight harder. "If you want to die then die" Methos said stepping back quickly and producing a gun from somewhere. As the bullets hit him he realized too late that Cassandra was right Methos wasn't worth leaving alive he'd cheated and broken the rules of the game. His last thought as he faded into what most likely wouldn't be a temporary death this time was that he should have taken the oldest immortals head long ago.

To be continued...

One more chapter and an Epilogue to go. I'll try to have them up before the end of March.


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer, notes and warnings on prologue.

After the Dream

Chapter Twelve of Twelve

It was not often that he was surprised to wake up from death, but he was that Methos hadn't taken his head. He wasn't however surprised to find himself restrained, gagged and blindfolded. He could feel at least one other immortal nearby and he wondered exactly how long he'd been dead. Methos had most likely taken steps to prevent his resurrection until he was bound and gagged.

He tested his bonds experimentally and found they were too well tied to escape. He should have known Methos would know how to ensure he couldn't get free. He sensed the immortal presence getting closer and braced himself for whatever came next. His blindfold was quickly removed revealing Methos scowling face. "Well Macleod, I've spoken to Joe and Connor about you and they've agreed to handle things." He wondered what Methos meant by handle things.

"Joe should be here to untie you in a few hours once I give him your location," Methos said dryly. "I won't be giving it to him until I'm safely on a plane heading out of the country." He smiled slightly. "I think it'll be better for my health if I'm as far away from you as possible from now on."

He produced a long knife from somewhere. "You'll wake up when Joe gets here," He said grimly. "You'll be safer dead so no one can sense you." He braced himself for the pain that was coming before death claimed him again.

XXXX

"You know I was about to get on a plane to paradise when I got this call," Ritchie said sounding annoyed as he entered the bar. He watched as Ritchie took in Connor and Amanda both sitting silently at the bar. "What happened?"

"Duncan, tried to kill Methos last night," Connor said turning to face the young man. "He lost, He's still alive but Methos hasn't told us where he is yet." He watched as shock registered on the younger immortal's face.

"I can't believe that idiot did that," Amanda said speaking up angrily. "He could have been killed not to mention that none of us would have forgiven him for killing Methos if he'd succeeded." Joe wasn't so sure about that he was pretty sure Amanda would have eventually forgiven Macleod if he'd killed Methos.

"That still doesn't explain why I'm here," Ritchie said darkly. "Mac, made it clear it was better for my health if I got out of Paris as soon as possible." He had suspected that Ritchie was clearing out on Macleod's orders but it was still strange to have it confirmed.

"I need you to come with me while I deal with a problem." Connor said to the younger immortal. "I'll explain on the way but we have to go now." He hoped Connor knew what he was doing taking the younger man along. He knew better than to object though as he knew Connor could choose not to get involved.

He watched the two leave and turned back to Amanda. She was staring at the phone as if she was willing it to ring. He knew that her only real concern at the moment was finding Mac safe and sound. When it finally did ring, he wasn't surprised she snatched it up before the first ring finished.

"Hello," She said annoyed and then quickly. "Where is he Methos?" He could tell she was listening intently and wasn't surprised when she slammed the phone down. "I know where Duncan is." She was up and heading toward the door in a hurray. "Well come on Joe Duncan is dead somewhere all alone." He hurried after her wishing he could have been the one to answer the phone because he had a lot of questions for Methos and Macleod about what actually happened.

XXXX

"My warning was more than fair," He said to the older highlander who had sought him out. "I did not want to kill any of Duncan Macleod's friends but it seems I will have no choice but to kill his former teacher."

"I want to talk to you about Cassandra before we fight," Connor said calmly. He had to admit he was intrigued. "Duncan tried to kill Methos last night just like Cassandra planned." He could tell the other immortal was expecting him to be surprised but he wasn't.

"Cassandra, told me Macleod would try, fail and be spared by Methos." He considered not even using the skill's Cassandra taught him it would be even more impressive to take down the older Macleod without them. "Her prophecy has proven true every time I have tested it."

"You're a fool," Connor Macleod said without a hint of emotion. He found himself frowning at the implication. How dare that arrogant immortal call him a fool. He should make the other immortal suffer for that insolence before he killed him.

"Get down on your knees and beg," He said calling on the voice as Cassandra taught him to make the other immortal his willing slave. He was shocked when the other immortal merely reached into his pocket and hit a few keys on his cell phone. "I said get down on your knees." He put more effort into it this time.

"Heh, it doesn't work on me." Connor said drawing his sword. He stared at the other immortal it was impossible Cassandra had assured him none of Macleod's friends could resist what she had taught him. "Draw your sword Adler we need to finish this."

"How can you resist Cassandra's magic," He yelled at the other immortal. "How can you resist it when she had me at her knees with the same skill before she revealed her prophecy to me?" He couldn't figure out how this man was resisting his new powers.

"Nakano," the other immortal said calmly. "He taught me many things including how to resist illusions like Cassandra's parlor tricks." The other immortal began to walk forward calmly. "I'm sorry you were used by Cassandra but this is going to end now."

"No, it won't," He screamed at the other immortal drawing his own sword. "Cassandra's prophecy will still come true; I'll make it." He had to win this fight Cassandra had never warned him about Connor Macleod because he was sure to win this fight. He attacked quickly he would win this with his own skill.

XXXX

He sat slightly anxious as he awaited the out come of Connor's fight with Adler. He'd received the prearranged text message that confirmed that Connor was immune to Adler's tricks but that didn't mean he would be the victor. All it meant was that Connor was going to get a fair fight.

He still wasn't sure why he'd agreed to sit here and wait for Connor to send him that signal in the first place. When Connor had asked him to wait an hour and if didn't get the call at all it meant that he was dead and to make sure Mac got out of town. He wasn't planning on being in the same room with Mac again any time soon so the idea of being the one to tell him his teacher went and got killed wasn't very appealing.

He froze when he felt the presence of an immortal approaching. He was slightly hopeful that it meant Connor had won his fight but he wasn't about to step off Holy ground until he knew for sure it was Connor. He relaxed fully once he could see the older immortal. "Well looks like you took care of Mac's problem for him."

"I didn't do it for Duncan," Connor said calmly. "I went after him because he was a threat." He was a bit surprised by Connor's statement. "I would have let Duncan face him if he hadn't shown he was mentally unfit to fight him now."

"I see," He said to the other immortal. "I'm going to go see if I can't catch another flight today because I don't plan to be around once Duncan hears about all this." He started to leave. "Your welcome to join me because I doubt Mac is going to be happy about you interfering."

"I can handle Duncan," Connor said with a slightly more cheery tone. "Don't lose your head kid." He said farewell to the older immortal and headed out of there.

XXXX

"What were you thinking, Duncan?" She asked him as she finished untying his bonds. "I can't believe you tried to kill Methos last night." She stood aside as he got shakily to his feet she knew form experience that being dead while tied up left you very stiff.

"I wasn't trying to kill him," Duncan said tiredly. "I was planning to force his hand and make him kill me to prevent Adler from winning." She glanced over at Joe who didn't look surprised. "I never expected Methos to pull a gun on me." She was glad Methos had she couldn't have taken losing Duncan like that. "Now Adler will win and eventually kill Methos."

"I don't think that will happen Mac," Joe said tiredly. "You can still win." She wondered why Joe hadn't revealed that Connor had gone after Adler. She guessed it was to keep Duncan from chasing after him and getting himself killed early in case Connor lost.

"Cassandra, foresaw everything, Joe, I can't win." Duncan said bitterly. "I could only win by killing Methos and the only other way out that I can see is for me to die." He turned toward her. "You'll have to do it Amanda there isn't any other way."

"You're crazy Duncan I won't kill you," She said beginning to fear that he was truly losing his mind. "Duncan, Adler may not even be a problem much longer." She saw Joe shoot her a warning look but she had to tell him.

Joe's phone rang before Duncan could ask what she meant. Joe answered quickly and then after exchanging a few brief words said. "Adler is dead Mac," He said pausing briefly. "Connor, killed him."

Duncan just stared at the two of them in shock as if he couldn't believe what Joe had just said. She found herself worrying about Duncan even more when he just slumped back as if he couldn't believe it.

To be concluded.

All that's left is the Epilogue.


	14. Epilogue

Disclaimer notes and warnings on Prologue.

Highlander After the Dream

Epilogue:

Joe went back over the report on the latest incidents and Macleod's reentry into the game. He hadn't counted on how hard this entire situation was going to be. It just felt wrong that Connor had solved the problem and Duncan had accepted it so meekly. He hadn't even objected to Connor interfering in his fight.

He had to admit part of him expected things to have turned out like they usually did with Mac saving the day at the last minute after pulling himself together. It was probably for the best that he was leaving to head to a monastery in Tibet to work through his issues. He could tell Amanda was worried that Macleod would never recover.

He had no doubt that Duncan Macleod would recover in time. He just hoped it was within his life time. He found himself wondering who would take over Macleod's chronicle once he was gone. He knew whoever it was would have to deal with the fact that Macleod knew about the watchers now.

He pushed those thoughts out of his head he still had a few good years left before he had to think about retiring. He glanced back at the report and made up his mind. Once he was done with this he needed to call Ritchie and work on repairing their friendship. He didn't want the younger immortal to think everyone was going to avoid him because Macleod told him to leave.

The End...

After the Dream is now over. This isn't quiet the ending I originally planned but do to a lot of things this is the ending that got written. Since I started working in this fic my time to write took a major hit, real life issues interupted and other things.

I'm happy enough with this ending even if it's not the ending I ordinally envisioned.

If you are curious the original ending was going to be much different and set up for a massive sequel.

I don't plan to write any more Highlander fics in the near future. Someday I might come back and do a sequal or prequal to this fic but for now this is the last time I will work on a highlander fanfic.


End file.
